The Way of the Cross' mixes religion with politics

Silver Spring re-enactment of Jesus' journey contains modern messages

Actors portraying Roman guards march Julio de la Cruz, who is portraying Jesus Christ, in the annual re-enactment of the stations of the cross held by Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Takoma Park and St. Camillus Catholic Church in Silver Spring on Good Friday.

Whoever coined the unwritten rule that politics and religion are topics best avoided in polite conversation was obviously not a member of the St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring.

Heavy rain and chilly winds notwithstanding, more than 2,000 congregants and community members gathered at the Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church in Takoma Park at noon Friday to begin a winding, three-mile trek up New Hampshire Avenue to St. Camillus. Every April, St. Camillus stages a re-enactment of the path taken by Jesus Christ from Jerusalem to the site of his crucifixion as it was described in the Bible. Called "The Way of the Cross," and held each year the Friday before Easter, church leaders decided on a more modern approach to the ancient tradition this year.

Instead of focusing just on the religious story of Jesus' sacrifice, this year the church tied each stop along the walk to a different contemporary issue, from war and poverty to immigration and climate change, said Father Jacek Orzechowski, one of St. Camillus' six pastors.

"This year we wanted to do it in such a way that helps people connect what happened 2,000 years ago with Jesus Christ to what is going on today," he said.

At each "Station of the Cross"  there were 14 total  parallels were drawn between events that occurred on Jesus' walk and a modern-day issue. The station where Jesus encountered his mother, Mary, for instance, related her despair over her son's death to the despair of mothers worldwide who lose their children to drug abuse and alcohol addiction.

Working closely with the church's Latino Justice and Peace and Integrity of Creation Committee, the organizers of the walk specifically chose issues that would resonate with the residents in Takoma/Langley Crossroads, no matter how divisive the issue is nationwide, Orzechowski said.

"For example, at the second station, the reflection talked about the issue of deportation," he said. "So many people, especially in [Prince George's] County, so many people who are members of our parish have been somehow impacted, even deported, because of minor traffic violations."

Few if any congregants seemed to mind the shift this year toward more politically charged topics. In fact, because local residents had such a hand in deciding on the topics to be addressed, the focus of the re-envisioned stations were largely preaching to the choir.

"I thought it was very important originally, because so much money is spent on things that are unnecessary, so the money should go toward things like poverty and kids' educations," said Rockville resident Gimena Lemus, 17, of the station that addressed child labor and poverty.

Margreta Silverstone, 47, of Takoma Park, also welcomed the new approach the church took regarding contemporary topics, dismissing concerns that politics should be kept apart from religion in all circumstances.

"For me, personally, that's a barrier that people create that's very artificial," she said as she made her way through the procession with her husband and son. "I mean, tea-party people are at times equally informed by their own religious faiths in terms of their choices, this is sort of a more liberal Christian bent, but it's political choices, as well."

Some in the crowd chose to ignore the new reflections altogether to focus instead on the original religious nature of the procession.

"I don't know anything about any of that," said 79-year-old Adelphi resident Mario Amleu in his native Spanish. "It was said that on this day, Christ was made to carry the cross, ... he died for our sins; that is what we celebrate today on Good Friday."